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Month: February 2015

As the weather starts to get better and the days are getting longer, I now have another project on the horizon, one that was started last summer.

The Small Bed Where It All Began

Early last summer Ellen and I decided that we wanted to give the garden a good crack and look at starting to grow some of our very own fruit and veg.

In the past my Dad had grown lots of different Veg in our garden. Some successfully and some not so successfully.

So to begin with we decided to just start by digging over a small border at the side of our greenhouse.

When my Dad got older and found he couldn’t tend to the garden as much due to his ill health he decided make the garden pretty and put in lots of flowers that would come up annually and didn’t need too much looking after.

The bed after a couple of afternoons hard graft.

So Ellen and I began the task of removing the flowers, roots and all, and turn the bed into something we could have a go at growing some veg.

It was very hard going with so many roots from all the plants that had been put in.

We had already decided that we were going to grow some potatoes in growing bags from the pound shop and after purchasing some home guards we got them all bagged up and settled in.

Potato Growing Bags from the pound shop are a nice easy way of getting to growing!

Other items we grew were Spring Onions, Radishes in window boxes. Lettuce, Mini Cucumbers and Tomatoes in grow bags. We also then had a go at Carrots, Beetroot and Courgettes in some larger grow bags,

Finally in the bed that we had cleared we grew some Shallots that had been reduced along with some Sweet Corn.

The first crop harvested were our Home Guard Early Potatoes which were fantastic and we had a really good crop.

Home Guards, a great first crop, good yield too!

The potato growing bags make it really easy to grow spuds and we were even able to use the same bags and soil for a late crop as well. I would certainly recommend using them to get started.

You may not get as many potatoes as you would putting them in the ground but for us 4 bags worked perfectly.

As the summer went on we found that everything seemed to grow well, even the beetroot after it had been attacked by slugs. We also came across some bonus crops with 3 rogue blackberry bushes and also a bit of scrumping from next doors apple trees.

Nothing Wrong with a bit of Scrumping!

The only veg we did struggle with was the Runner Beans and also the Carrots. The beans never pollinated properly after the flowers came out, so we never actually saw any beans appear despite the plants growing nice and tall. The carrots on the other hand never had space to grow in the bag and by the end of the summer we just had tiny mini carrots!

So after so much success in our first year we are now starting to plan out for 2015. Although we do still have lots of work ahead as we try to get so more bed space, hopefully a few days off work will help with that.

After taking out a subscription the Kitchen Garden Magazine we also have plenty of free seeds to have a go at.

As with most people in the UK I do follow a football team and that team happens to be Boston United of the ‘Vanerama Conference North’

But Why Boston United?

But why Boston United? – Well its actually all down to my family roots. Both my parents are from Boston, well Old Leake just outside, and my Dad was actually a Nottingham Forest fan and went to most of the games after they moved to Nottingham with Dad working on the Railways.

For many years I also had a Nottingham Forest season ticket and sat in the trent end alongside my Dad but after a while I soon got fed up and lost heart with it.

My Dad always kept an eye out for the Boston result and I too always liked to see how they were getting on. Eventually we decided to go to a game and for some reason from that moment I was hooked on Boston United.

The Spayne Road Terrace at York Street!

I’d fallen out with the big stadium team in Nottingham and liked nothing more than being at York Street in Boston standing on the Spayne Road terrace with a cup of tea and a sausage roll for just £1.50.

Although I still live in Nottingham and probably always will its only and hour and a half drive to Boston so making the odd game isn’t a problem. I also have a programme subscription to make sure I don’t miss any of them and if any of you have ever seen a Boston programme you will know it’s one of the best reads in football, in fact it puts some of the major league teams programmes to shame.

I’ve enjoyed my trip to Boston a lot and even managed to convert a good friend of mine Craig into a Pilgrims fan. Boston currently find themselves in 7th place in the Conference North looking to try and reach the playoffs, although this may take a huge effort as we seem to have play more games than the teams around us.

Current Manager Dennis Greene

Under current manager Dennis Greene the club seems to have a lot of positivity around it although some fans are still staying away.

There has been some fantastic news this week though with the signing of new contracts by striker Dayle Southwell, defender Zak Mills and midfielder Grant Roberts. Also announced was the pre-contract agreement with other striker Mark Jones.

This now means that Boston already have 8 players signed up for next season, with Southwell, Mills and Roberts joining keeper Sam Vince, defenders Scott Garner, Carl Piergianni and midfielders Kaine Felix and Kyle Dixon plus Jones to make it 9. This gives the club a solid base to build on for next season no matter what level we are at.

Kyle Dixon – A great pick up from Notts County.

One of the best signing for me has been getting Kyle Dixon from Notts County. Kyle was on Loan from Notts earlier this season but then when it expired moved to Telford in the Conference. That didn’t really work out for Kyle and following his return, he was released by Notts and quickly signed by Dennis Greene for the remainder of this season plus next season as well. Scholesy as he is nicknamed is a great midfielder and also happens to be mates with a good friend of mine too, so I expect a few more trips in the next few months.

The New Boston Community Stadium

Off the field things also look good as Boston will finally be getting a new stadium. Massive work by the chairman David Newton on this one has finally seen the ambition realised and work will begin shortly on the development of the stadium. Although the exact time frame isn’t yet known.

When it does happen though it can only be good for the football club and also for the development of Boston.

In the meantime however its back to York Street and hope that we can put a good run together for the rest of the season, starting with the visit of Bradford Park Avenue this afternoon.

The Christmas Period was as busy as ever with Ice Hockey and seeing family taking up a lot of time. I did however manage to progress with another building or two on my N Gauge model railway project.

The Large Box with its smaller brother!

The next buildings to take shape saw me build Metcalfe Kit PN133 N Scale Signal Box Set. This kit comprises of 4 buildings in total, a large LNWR signal box, a smaller version of the signal box, a platelayers hut and a lamp hut.

Once again the kits are very detailed and the instructions are easy to follow. Although it has to be said that building the steps is quite possibly the hardest thing I have had to do so far as placing each individual step on an N Gauge model is not a straightforward process.

The fully built Metcalfe Signal Box Set!

Luckily though taking my time over a couple of winter afternoons saw me complete the kits and I’m very happy again with the results.

I was also give a couple more sets for christmas which I will build in due course. Hopefully this year will also see the start of building the baseboards as I actually look to move this project further forward.

Just when you’re getting used to the idea of losing both Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford, Sabres GM Tim Murray then announces that he’s made a 2nd Trade on the same day.

Jhonas Enroth teaming up with Lindy again in Dallas

This time the trade would the Sabres move on current starting goalie Jhonas Enroth to the Dallas Stars to link up once again with former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.

With the Stars in the hunt for a playoff place and needing a goalie Sabres GM Tim Murray said ‘it seemed like the right time to make a deal.’ Let’s hope hes right on this, at least it give us more time to look at guys and assess our needs before the end of the season.

In return for Jhonas going to Dallas the Sabres get Anders Lindback and also a conditional third round pick in the 2016 draft, although this could become a 2nd round pick should Enroth reach 4 playoff game wins.

Anders Lindback is a now Sabre!

For me it’s a shame Jhonas is going as he’s shown signs that he is finally stepping out from the shadows of Ryan Miller that held the number one spot for so long. Again though Enroth is an UFA in the summer and GM Murray admitted that we may go back in for him then.

Jhonas has posted a 3.27 GAA and a .903 SV% in 37 games this season, leading the team to 13 wins. Lindback in comparison has a 3.71 GAA and a .875 SV% with 2 wins and 8 losses in 10 appearances this season, including last weeks 3-2 Sabres win over the Stars where both goalies went head to head.

The deal is a good one for the Stars as they are serious playoff contenders so need the depth at the goalie position. I just worry that we will now see a similar situation with our goalies like we had at the end of last season with anyone who is fit donning the mask.

Murray says he’d like to see more of Neuvirth but the guy has had so so many injuries. I’d personally like to see more of Matt Hackett and Nathan Lieuwen but for now it looks like Lindback and Neuvirth will get the nod.

We still have several weeks until we hit the trade deadline and it wouldn’t surprise me to see another couple of movements involving the Sabres. It is however vitally important for me that we keep the likes of Girgensons, Ristolainen and Zadorov who for their ages have been superb and I look forward to seeing them develop further.

One thing is certain though Tim Murray isn’t afraid to shake up the roster, but when you’re the worst team in the NHL I guess you have to do something.

Well after my last blog about the Sabres the wheels have certainly come off the bus. Since the turn of the new year the Sabres have won just 2 out of 17 games and now find themselves 30 out of 30 team in the NHL standings, this also included a 14 game losing streak!

Sabres GM Tim Murray looking to rebuild.

Yesterday finally saw GM Tim Murray announce a trade, which was then followed quickly by a 2nd trade.

In his press conference the GM was very open, as he always seems to be, something that I really like and something that is very good to see.

In fact he was so open that he freely admitted that he was ‘pissed off’ with the Sabres 14 game losing streak that sees them sit as the worst team in the NHL.

Tyler Myers & Drew Stafford are heading to the Jets.

So at midday Murray announced that a trade had been made with the Winnipeg Jets.

On their way to the Jets are Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford along with prospects Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a 1st round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Both Myers and Stafford have both been Sabres stalwarts for a long time, Myers though for me has not really show his real potential since 2009/10 when he won the Calder Trophy for the best NHL Rookie. His season stats show he has 4 Goals, 9 Assists but a +/- rating of -15 through 47 games this season.

Stafford, who’s been with the Sabres since 2004, for me has possibly been one of the Sabres most consistent performers despite picking up a couple of injuries. His leadership has also been very good and he has 9 Goals, 15 Assists with a +/- of -18 through 50 games so far this season. The other thing to note was that Stafford was an UFA in the summer so maybe the timing is spot on.

For me I think the timing of this trade is right, Sabres had to make a move and to get anywhere it was always going to be our better players that had to move. Despite giving away a 1st round pick we still actually have 2 more available so that doesn’t really hurt us.

With the prospects its hard to say whether its a good or bad move, both though are players I expect to have decent NHL careers but only time will tell if we have traded away potential superstars.

Buffalo Bound – Evander Kane & Zach Bogosian.

So in return for all this the Sabres will receive Evander Kane, Zach Bogosian and college prospect goalie Jason Kasdorf.

Kane though we won’t see until next season due to him requiring to go under the knife to repair a torn labrum.

The Jets had made it clear over the last week or so that they were listening to offers for Kane but I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted a trade this big.

In 37 games with the Jets this season Kane has scored 10 goals and has 12 assists with a +/- of just -1. With him being just 23 years of age it’s a really good fit with the Sabres and I will look forward to seeing in a Sabres Jersey for what could be an improved season next year.

Bogosian will however be on the ice in a Sabres jersey this season, he’s been a fair steady performer with the Jets with 3 goals and 10 assists in 41 outings so far. His +/- is also a nice +1, he is a good strong guy and will also play possible in all situations.

The final part of this trade will also see College prospect goalie Jason Kasdorf join the organisation and give us further depth at this position. Although not having any real standout superstar goalie we do seem to have plenty of potential depth at this position.

So overall, despite giving away a couple of our best players this trade has plenty of longer term benefits to the Sabres. Myers & Stafford have been great players for us and I’m sure the fans will give them a massive ovation when they return some day soon but in the mean time this is just another step in the rebuilding process.

GM Tim Murray is not afraid to make big trades after all he traded with the Blues last year when both Ryan Miller and Captain Steve Ott were traded for Jaroslav Halak, who was moved on straight away, and also Chris Stewart. Murray admitted in his press conference he’s very open that he will listen to any offers. Although there are some guys he doesn’t want to let move on!

In a world where gluten free, sugar free, tasteless snacks have become a thing. Where you have a DIY project every single day. Where play dates are scheduled 2 months in advance and each activity has to be planned and approved, here I am. Not giving a damn.